Nuns go online to boost community

The order has websites in 50 other countries already

May 29, 2012

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Catholics near Islamabad are going public – at least on the internet. The Daughters of St Paul, in Rawalpindi, have launched a website to encourage youth participation, despite community worries about drawing attention in the predominantly Muslim country. “They were afraid of exposure and showing the face of Christ in a Muslim country,” said Sister Athens Angeles, the community superior. “But we are already the last of 51 countries where the Pauline family is running local websites.” The website offers information about upcoming Church events as well as links to Facebook posts about the outreach programs, meetings and publications of the congregation which is running three book centers in the country. “It is purely for vocation and has no business dimension,” Sr Angeles said. The site was created by youth leader and student Sonish Akmal in just two days, after the order worked on the project for three years. “We waited till Pentecost to highlight the additional feature of viewing the site in different languages,” she said. Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra launched the site over the weekend to the applause of more than 100 priests, nuns and lay leaders. He then lauded the nuns for setting a great example on the correct use of the internet. “It will help in building relations by offering choices and preferences even when not speaking directly of religious content,” he said. Related reports Pakistan parish is first to go onlineYoung people launch diocesan website

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